Evaluation of the effects of water demand management on consumer behaviour in Zambia : case study of the Lusaka peri urban areas.

The main objective of the research for this thesis was to assess how water demand management (WDM) has affected water consumption and payment patterns of water consumers in the urban poor areas of Zambia. The survey was carried out in three peri-urban areas of Lusaka. The research first identified the water demand management measures that are practiced by the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) in the peri-urban areas. This was followed by the assessment of the effect of the selected WDM measures on consumption and payment patterns of water consumers in the selected case study areas through structured interviews. The survey results showed that there is a high potential for WDM to be used as tool to influence water consumption and payment in the urban poor areas. The assessment also indicated that WDM measures differ in the way they influence water consumption and payment patterns of consumers. From the survey, the most effective WDM measure for influencing consumption and the most effective measure for promoting better payment for the different water consumer types in the study areas was established. Metering was found to be the most effective WDM measure for controlling consumption, particularly for the communal standpipe users on the prepayment method and for the billed consumption consumers using house connections. Sensitisation was also established to be the most effective WDM measure for promoting better payment for water in the urban poor areas. The findings of the survey agree with the WDM literature reviewed in the study which recommended metering as one of the key components of any sustainable WDM strategy aimed at efficient water management and that awareness raising is an important WDM measure for changing the user’s perception towards water use and payment.